Destiny
by GreenEggsAndSamIAm
Summary: My destiny was foretold to be entwined with the Avatar's. Korra and I are meant to walked down the same path together, but am I meant to love her...or kill her?
1. Distrust

_**Destiny**_

_AN: I'll try to keep up with updates with this story. I love both Naruto and Legend of Korra so of course, there needs to a mix. I thought this up when I was eating ribs. Please enjoy._

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**Chapter One: Distrust**

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"How did I get myself into this situation?"

Korra, the newest Avatar and master of three of the four bending arts so far in her first day in Republic city ends up in jail. All she did was defend a shop owner from those thugs who abused the bending arts and used it to bully the old man. So what if there was a little damage to the stores and the street on the block, caused by her apprehending the thugs with her own bending? The point is, she did her duty as the Avatar.

Yet, here she was in a room completely sealed by metal bending and sitting across from one of the most scariest looking woman she had ever seen.

"Let's see. Mulitple accounts of destruction of private and city property. Not to mention evading arrest. You are in a boatload in trouble, young lady!" Chief BeiFong read out the charges as she paced behind Korra before slamming her hand on the table. Korra jumped in reaction as she flinched at the policewoman's abrupt attitude.

"But there was some thugs threatening a helpless shopkeeper! I had to do som..." Korra tried to explain, but was quickly interrupted by the back of the woman as she turned away from the new Avatar.

"Can it! You should have called the police and stayed out of the way." Her voice went from loud to soft as her tone turned condescending, making Korra feel very little about her reckless actions. But she had to explain herself and show this woman that she had to do what she did.

"But I couldn't just sit by and do nothing. It's my duty to help people. You see, I'm the Avatar." Oh yeah, she just pulled that card, but Korra needed to make this Metalbender see reason.

"Oh, I'm well aware of who you are and your Avatar title might impress some people. But not me." Lin wiggled her fingers at the Avatar. Korra was taken aback at the lack of respect she had come to expect when the name Avatar was used. At least, that's what she was taught by the White Lotus masters. She quickly collected her thoughts as she got more fed up with this officer and her attitude.

"All right. Fine. Then I want to talk to whomever is in charge here."

"You're talking to her." Korra's face fell at the statement, only to perk up again at the next part. "I'm Chief BeiFong."

"Wait, BeiFong. Lin BeiFong? You're Toph's daughter!" the Water Tribe girl stated in excitement.

"What of it?" Lin replied as if it weren't no big deal to be the daughter of one of the world's greatest heroes from team Avatar.

"Well then, why are you treating me like a criminal? Avatar Aang and your mother were friends. They saved the world together!" Korra exclaimed, shocked about how they were connected in this way, yet the woman was treating her like this.

"That's ancient history and has diddly squat to do with this mess your in right now. You can't just waltz in here and dole out vigilante justice like you own the place!" Chief BeiFong started to tear the new Avatar a new one when an opening appearing in the middle of one of the metal walls. An officer peered inside before stating a bit of news that Lin was not happy to hear.

"Chief, Councilman Tenzin and his aide are here." he stated as Lin sighed in annoyance. Great. Her ex boyfriend was here to save the reincarnation of his father and he brought..._him_. He just had to bring that boy here when he knew how she felt about him. It's not that she hated the boy, but she did hope that he would actually commit a crime so she would have a real cause to dislike him.

"Fine, bring them in." Lin sighed once more as she stood up and watched the metal wall open up into a doorway. A moment later, the tall Airbender known as Tenzin walked in with his aide trailing behind him, his figure mostly blocked by the councilman's height.

"Tenzin..."Korra smiled sheepishly as she tried to explain herself about why she was in Republic city against his wishes. "Sorry, I got a little side tracked coming to see you and..."

The waterbender words failed her as her mind went blank all of a sudden when the sight of his aide appeared in her vision. He was like no one she had ever seen before as his handsome face came into full view. He was almost as tall as Tenzin, only being beat by a few inches and had light tan skin with the bluest eyes she had ever seen in her life. That was saying a lot since many people in the South Pole had blue eyes, including herself. But the strangest and the most captivating thing about him was his hair. She had never seen hair like his before.

It was almost like looking at sunshine. His hair was beautiful shade of yellow and was slightly spiked in the front as it hung around his face in two long bangs. The sides and the back part of his hair was tied into a loose ponytail. He was wearing a white GI jacket over a black muscle shirt along with a pair of black pants and shoes. Another unusual feature was these thin whisker tattoos on his cheeks, three on each side.

For the life of her, Korra could not speak another word or tear her eyes away from him. He was just so..._appealing_ to her and felt connected to him in some unusual way. But not only that, there was also something very familiar about him. As if she knew him before or seen him at one point in her life. What was it about this guy that had her all flustered and her heart beating rapidly? Why did he have to be so handsome? Why was he so familiar to her like an old friend? Why was he so...

_Him?_

Tenzin noticed the pause in Korra's explanation and breathed in deep as he took this moment to try and sweet talk his former love into let Korra go. " Lin! You're looking radiant as usual."

"Cut the garbage, Tenzin." Lin snapped while the yellow haired aide lightly coughed into his fist, covering a chuckle. Korra couldn't help but chuckle as well at the guy's reaction to Tenzin getting shot down quick. Lin ignored both of them as she continued to question Tenzin. "Why is the Avatar in Republic city? I thought you were supposed to be moving down to the South Pole to train her?"

"My relocation has been delayed. The Avatar, on the other hand will be heading back to the south pole immediately where she will stay put." Tenzin explained to Lin and somehow, scolded Korra at the same time

"But..." The Avatar tried to persuade her airbending teacher, but was cut off by his waving hand.

"If you would be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages." he stated to Chief BeiFong who looked at Korra and then back to Tenzin. She sighed and released Korra's cuffs through metalbending with a wave of her finger.

"Fine, but _get her out of my city_." she enunciated the last part with slight venom in her voice. Her eyes went from Tenzin to his aide as she looked at the yellow haired guy with distrust.

"Always a pleasure, Lin. Come along, Korra." Tenzin nodded at Lin who scoffed before he turned and waited for Korra to follow him through the doorway. His aide stood aside as he bowed slightly, letting the master Airbender and Korra go first. Korra tried to hide her blush as she kept staring at him through the corner of her eyes. She turned back to see Lin point to her own eyes before pointing them back towards herself and she couldn't help, but mock the Chief back in the same manner.

Korra immediately regretted it as she realized that she must of have looked childish and stupid to the handsome boy with her face twisted into a ugly look. She looked at him briefly before she stepped through the doorway and found the yellow haired boy smiling at her much to her relief. She let out a sigh before following Tenzin down the hall.

Lin sneered at the quick interaction between the Avatar and Tenzin's aide as the said boy turned to her and bowed deeply to her in a show of respect. Her lips thinned but still nodded her head back to him in a polite response to his respect. But she couldn't help but make one last statement before the yellow haired aide left the room.

"I may not like the Avatar, but if I find that something happens to her before she leaves Republic city, I _will_ be looking into you first. Do you understand me?" Lin stated her thinly veiled threat as the boy smiled at her once more before bowing again.

"I would expect nothing less from the amazing Chief BeiFong. I will see to it that the money will be sent to the Council for the repairs to the damages the Avatar accidentally caused." the aide rose up from the bow and his face turn serious as he stared Lin down. "I will make sure she is safe, Chief BeiFong. You have my word."

Lin scoffed. "As if your word means anything to me. From the son of the second worse war criminal in history, it means less than nothing."

"I understand. I don't blame you for your distrust, but please. Refrain from saying anything disrespectful about my mother. I know she was exactly who you said she was. I'm just stopping you before you crossed that line. I respect you too much and I don't want to be upset by words you might say in distrust." he spoke wisely, his eyes never leaving Lin's as they stared each down.

She knew he was right. He had nothing to do with what that woman did during that hundred year war. He had given nothing to show that he had a bad bone in his body. But still, the woman did raise an orphan boy like a son for some reason and Lin doubt it was out of the goodness of that woman's black heart. Was it a coincidence that he came to live here in Republic city two years ago and now, the Avatar was here to try and convince Tenzin to train her here?

Maybe, maybe not. But she was still a professional and an officer of the law.

"Of course. I apologize for my words. It's my job to be concerned about every possible threat to Republic city and at the moment, the Avatar. Your mother would have reason in her bent mind to have revenge against the Avatar." Lin sighed before nodding at the boy with steeled eyes. "So know this. I will still be watching you closely as always."

Lin walked closer to the yellow haired boy and looked up slightly into his blue eyes. "Aide to Tenzin or not, you're still the son of _Azula_."

The handsome aide merely smiled as he turned and walked away from the Chief. "Of course, Chief Beifong. Have a nice day."

She scoffed as she crossed her arms and watched the adopted son of Azula walk out of the room with his hands held behind his back. "Have a _nice_ day to you too."

"Naruto."


	2. Days of Tomorrow's Past

_**Destiny**_

_AN: I thought this chapter up when in the shower and eating chicken. The next few chapters will have small flashbacks about Naruto and Azula's history to explain his origin and set up for the action pack storyline that involves Naruto._

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**Chapter Two - Days of Tomorrow's Past**

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_150 ASC_

Fifty long years.

That was how much time had gone by since she had lost the crown to her younger brother. Since her father lost to the Avatar in what was called the greatest battle never seen. A battle which changed an entire landscape, the Wulong Forest as the two benders destroyed many of its stone pillars during their epic fight. Her fight with her brother was famed to be as equally great. Two master Firebenders dueling with Sozin's Comet enhancing their Firebending like no one had ever seen before.

Or what she like to call, the day destiny came and delivered a box of _screw you_ with a side of _insanity_ to her door.

Azula gritted her teeth as she thought about that day. Fifty years ago to the very day, in fact when Zuko became the Fire Lord. Her father Ozai losing his Firebending and thrown in prison. Then the worse of it all, her losing her sanity and thrown in a mental institution by her little brother. The tea cup in her hand shattered, spilling the hot liquid all over the table and floor as the former Fire Nation princess cursed to herself. She sighed as she got up from her seat and slowly walked to her small kitchen to retrieve a broom and cloth.

Yes, it had been many years since that day and the adventures that followed, leading to her current situation and lifestyle that she lived in. She may be prideful, but even she knew that this was for the best. Her living in solitude for the past forty-five years, rarely receiving visitors that checked up on her. Mainly her brother and the Avatar, just to see_ how she was doing._ She knew that they meant, to see if she had snapped again and was ready to attack the world again. Azula cackled as she swept up the broken pieces of her cup.

Look out world, here comes a sixty-four year old woman who used to be the most dangerous Firebender known to man. Fear her and her broom!

Mind you, she was still in good shape for an older woman. There was no way she would let herself become like Li and Lo. That thought alone gave her the shivers as she put away the broom and tossed the broken cup pieces into the trash. Not that it mattered to her other than her own personal health. She never had a suitor in her younger years and was nearly impossible after the war. Even after she moved here when she was twenty, she avoided other people in fear of losing her mind again. If Zuzu and the bald monk found out that she hurt someone, she would be shipped back to that place.

That fear alone caused her own self imposed isolation all these years. Though the nearest town was only five miles away, she only went for supplies that she couldn't obtain on her own. Then there was that impossible city the Avatar and her brother built. That was relatively close to where she was located too. Only being about two hundred miles down the coastline and a boat ride away.

Not that she would be ever caught dead in that disgusting place. Well, she might be dead if she ever went there. There were still people to this day who would want to kill her for her deeds during the war. That city, Republic City would be full of people who would know who she was and that would spell out her death sentence. So she stayed away from most people, choosing her fate to be this way. This was her destiny in the end.

In the end, all she could ever be was alone.

Azula sighed once more as she made her way to her sitting room to read another story from the many scrolls that her brother brought her on his yearly visits. It would be dark soon so she decided to get a small fire going in the fireplace before settling in the small room. A quick burst of blue flames from her fingers got the fire going as she smiled at the warm glow of the fireplace.

Working in her garden, painting, and reading a good story were her daily rituals. That's all she ever did now. Living like a peasant she once cursed and looked down upon. Azula stopped short of the scroll case and gritted her teeth once more. The word, peasant reminded her of one person she hated more than little Zuzu or the bald Avatar. That Water Tribe girl who bested her in her fight with Zuko and caused her to lose her crown. If she ever decided to go out with a crazy bang, she would choose to take that filthy peasant with her.

Last she heard, she was living comfortably with her Avatar husband in Republic City. Having three grown children who became great people of power and respect before retiring now on Air Temple Island. Enjoying everything she never got to have. Love, life, and the most desirable to Azula, though she would never admit it to anyone...a child of her own.

But it was too late for all that now. Fear of herself and her insanity was the cause of this punishment and she had accepted that long ago. Especially after that last journey she took with her brother and his friends in search of their mother. That was something she would never talk about or even think about again. Azula shook her head of those thoughts as she reached out to selected one of her favorite stories. A legend about deadly assassins called Shinobi who used to rule the lands thousands of years ago before the current history was even written.

Suddenly, a loud roar filled the sky above her roof as a massive shadow encompassed her house and land. Azula trembled as the mighty roar made the air thick and the ground shook before she rushed outside her home to see something she thought didn't exist anymore. A massive, dark yellow dragon appeared in the sky above her, circling her house and small piece of land in a swirling dance before landing right in between her house and the beach connected to it. Its blue eyes stared her down as she felt her legs quiver in fear.

Was this the last dragon in the world? Did it come and seek revenge on the bloodline that caused its extinction long ago? Was this the end of her pitiful life?

The large dragon growled deeply at Azula, its long, yellow, whisker like tendrils waving in the air as it bear its sharp teeth at the elderly woman. Then all of a sudden, something similar to laughter growled out of the dragon's mouth as a tendril stretched out and touch Azula right on her forehead. Out of the blue, a deep voice rung in her head, clear as if someone was speaking right into her ear.

_**"No, I am not the last dragon in existence, nor am I alive. I am also not here to kill you. Your pitiful excuse of a life and solitude is punishment enough for your ancestors' crime. I am a spirit and in fact, I am here to give you a chance to make up for your family's bloodied history."**_

Azula looked on in fear and shock as the yellow dragon looked down and spoke into her mind. "What do you mean, a chance? What do you want from me?"

_**"There has been a disturbance in the Spirit World as an unknown soul entered through the veil. We do not know how it entered or why, but it cannot remain there. That's where you come in, Azula of the Fire Nation."**_

"What do you mean? What can I do? I never even been to the Spirit World. In fact, I've attacked many spirits in my lifetime. Why should I do anything for them or you?" Azula questioned in a loud voice as the massive dragon roared and huge gusts of wind started to swirl around the area. The sky quickly became dark as the dragon rose into the sky, lightning crackled in the background of black cloud before the beast swooped down and stopped inches away from her face.

_**"It is because we choose it that you continue to live in this world! You will do as we say! This soul is powerful and will change the course of history as we know it! Its destiny is directly along the path of the Avatar's and it will decide the world's fate. Whether that would be on the side of good or evil, I cannot say. But what we do know is that its destiny will be impacted by your existence!"**_

"How so? What can I do?" Azula shouted over the thunder, her arm protecting her face from the harsh winds. "What can I possibly do for this soul you speak of?"

Suddenly, the weather returned to normal as the yellow dragon spirit landed its body once more on the ground. The dragon closed its eyes as a blue ball of chi appeared in front of Azula. Her face turned curious as she raised her hands to the small orb before it grew larger and wider. Before she knew it, the blue light took the shape of a small infant and slowly, the glow died down; revealing a tiny boy with yellow hair on his head.

_**"Be a mother, Azula of the Fire Nation. Be a mother and guide this child on the path to his destiny. Where that road would lead is up to you."**_

The dragon left her with those words before taking off into the sky, disappearing in a huge glow of blue light as Azula watched in amazement and shock. She looked down at the infant in her arms and suddenly realized what had just happened to her. She was given a child of destiny to raise. She couldn't believe it, but it just happened. She looked closely at the blanket he was wrapped tightly in and barely made out the single word that was sewn into the fabric before speaking it slowly.

"Naruto."

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_170 ASC - Present time._

"Naruto?"

"Hmm? Yes, Master Tenzin?" Naruto snapped out of his thoughts as he turned to his master and nodded his head. "What can I do for you?"

"Are you okay, my boy?" Tenzin asked in concern, knowing how Lin could be sometimes. He noticed that Naruto joined them almost a minute afterwards as they walked toward the animal holding department.

"Yes, Master Tenzin. I was just lost in thought. It won't happen again. Would you like for me to sign out the Avatar's Polar Dog?" Naruto asked, walking beside the councilman with his hands folded behind him.

"Yes, please. And as for you, Korra..."

"Tenzin, please. Don't send me back home." Korra begged before turning around and faced her Airbending teacher, keeping the corner of her eye on the handsome blonde boy signing some papers at the desk.

"You blalantly diregarded my wishes and the orders of the White Lotus." the master Airbender retorted as he crossed his arms together.

"Katara agreed with me that I should come. She said my destiny is in Republic City." the new Avatar tried to explain as Naruto's body stiffened at those familiar words.

_"Your destiny is...in Republic City, brat. You must go there now. I will no longer...be able to hold you back from your destiny. You will have the greatest impact in the Avatar's own destiny and the world's as well. You...are my son and I couldn't...be more...proud."_

"Don't bring my mother into this!" Tenzin's face grew red, his shout snapping Naruto out of his thoughts once again before he shook his head and signed the last paper.

"Look, I can't wait any longer to finish my training. Being cooped up and hidden away from the world isn't helping me be a better Avatar. I saw a lot of the city today and it's totally out of wack. I understand why you need to stay. Republic City does need you, but it needs me too." Naruto couldn't help, but smile at the young Avatar. Her words being quite true about both subjects and knew his master would have a hard time fighting it.

"You..." Tenzin tried to argue back, but knew her words were wise and well spoken as his father's once was and sighed deeply. Naruto chuckled to himself before an officer brought the Polar Dog to him, the giant beast licking the said man's face.

"Is this your Polar Dog, sir?" the guy spoke in a weak voice as Naruto nodded and took the reins away from him.

"Thank you, sir. Hello, Naga. Do you want to see Korra now?" Naruto smiled at the Polar Dog as it nodded its huge head and gave the blonde a big lick to his cheek. "GAAAH!"

Tenzin and Korra turned to the sound of the noise and saw Naruto walking up with Naga in hand, half of his yellow hair sticking up from the Polar Dog's tongue. Korra couldn't help but giggle at the sight of the handsome man in such a cute state of distress as Tenzin signed once again and smiled warmly to his aide.

"Thank you, Naruto. Let's get going. We have a boat to catch to the shipping yard." Tenzin stated softly, the tension in the air growing as Korra's face turned solemn about the decision. Naruto looked on in pity for the young Avatar as he walked up to her and gave her Naga's reins.

"Come on, Korra. Naga looks like she needs a walk." he smiled softly at her. Tenzin noticed Korra's face brightening up a bit at his aide's kindness and couldn't help but feel worse about the situation. It seemed that Korra didn't remember the boy as he remembered her from their one and only meeting years ago. He could tell the blonde knew this and chose not to say anything as the two walked out together through the doors of the police station. It was a good thing Lin wasn't here to see how friendly the two got along with each other.

Lin always had distrust in the boy, just like he did at one point. The day the young man came to Republic City to live here and to offer his eternal servitude to the master Airbender. Naruto claimed his life belong to him and that his destiny was to be here on Air Temple Island. Of course, Tenzin denied the request and told him that although he wasn't forbidden to be in Republic City, he shouldn't try to make a life here.

He was the son of Azula after all. If people found that out, who knew what could happen to the boy.

But Naruto wouldn't leave and stayed on the island against his wishes. The seventeen year old at the time slept right there on the grass until Tenzin told him yes to his request. He even had the boy arrested at one point, much to Lin's pleasure and was thrown in jail. But soon felt regret at his own actions and what his father would say to him if he saw what he had done to the boy. Judging him by the sins of his mother, not of his own. All that Naruto did was come to him, wanting a place to belong and give his life to Tenzin and his family. Then, the words of his mother, Katara came to him and what she had said about the boy.

He remembered the promise he made to his mother about Naruto all those years ago and how he would do his best to treat the boy right when the time came. Tenzin recalled the day he met Naruto and his mother, he would never forget it. He had heard about the boy from Fire Lord Zuko and his father, Avatar Aang. How Azula was raising a child out of nowhere, not explaining how she came to have the boy in her care. That his father and the Fire Lord nearly took away the boy for his own good and Azula's, but she fought dearly for him and the two men couldn't help but let him stay in the end.

Tenzin didn't hear about that boy for many years afterwards, even after his father's death. It wasn't until ten years ago where he actually met the boy and the woman known as Azula for the first time. His knowledge of the woman's horrible crimes caused immediate distrust about why she was on Air Temple Island. Lin somehow knew and showed up at the temple with the entire Metalbending police force when she found out Azula was in Republic City. If it wasn't for the boy, Lin and himself would have unleashed a fury of attacks against the woman for even stepping foot on the island. Azula stood to them and much to their surprise, bowed on the ground. Because that day, the day he and Lin met Naruto for the first time...

...was the day they found out the nine year old Naruto was dying.


	3. Capable of Love

_**Destiny**_

_AN: Hello loyal readers. Just some notes for you curious ones. Everything I have said and mentioned in the story has been perfectly planned out before making its way to your screen. Trust me when I say everything will be revealed and unfolded in the coming chapters, there will be no plot holes or forgotten details. Naruto's and Azula's past will be revealed piece by piece in these next few chapters before everything coming into light for Korra. Then the main story line and action will come into play with non stop fun! Yay, I'm looking forward to that._

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**Chapter Three - Capable of Love**

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151 ASC

These past six months have been the longest and grueling ordeal of Azula's life. She wouldn't wish this on her worse enemy. Though she knew her worse enemy has already done this. Three times!

She has fought armies, hunted down an Avatar along with various masters of Water, Fire, and Earthbending, invaded Ba Sing Se and even took it over without bloodshed. She had mastered Firebending when she was eight and Lightning when she was ten, but nothing had prepared Azula for the biggest challenge of her life.

Motherhood.

"Naruto! Get your butt back here!" Azula screeched as she chased around the blonde one year old. He barely figured out how to walk, but somehow was able to outrun her at every turn. Giggles filled the air followed by shouts of frustration, the sight of the once powerful Fire Princess being out foxed by a child only amusing to a stranger. Azula stopped chasing the boy as she took in a deep breath before sighing.

She just wanted to get him cleaned up and changed before taking him on a trip to the closest town. It was a special occasion for the both of them. Today was Naruto's birthday or to be more exact, the day she was given him by a Dragon spirit. It had already been a full year since that day and she didn't think she would survive. It wasn't all peaches and cream for the first few months.

No one would ever call Azula warm and caring, even herself. She knew exactly who she was. Cold hearted, ruthless, merciless, and just plain insane at times. She was almost neutral with Naruto for the first months of their new relationship. Just barely giving him food and basic needs that an infant needed to survive. Azula just couldn't bring herself to care for and love this child who was placed in her life. How could she when she never knew the feeling for herself?

But that day...the day where she almost lost Naruto was the day Azula knew she needed him as much as he needed her. Several months before the Dragon spirit visited her, her own brother and the Avatar had come to 'visit' her as well. They both knew what it was, Zuko and the Avatar. It was never a friendly visit between friends. Even after all these years, it was just another check up to see if she went mad again.

So much to her surprise, they had come to see her again out of the blue in record time. It was usually a yearly visit, accompanied by presents delivered to her every once in a while from her Fire Lord brother. But they had come for a reason and she could see it in their eyes. She still could remember that conversation like it happened yesterday...

_"Azula, how are you today?" Avatar Aang spoke politely after a couple of soft knocks to the door. Only a slight gray could been seen in his beard, but Azula could tell something was physically wrong with the Avatar. Her eyes could never be fooled. "Could we come in?"_

_"Aang, there's no reason to lead this visit with deception. Azula, we've heard that you have a child here? Whose is it? Where did you kidnapped the child from?" Zuko questioned firmly. His steeled eyes watched her every move as she walked through her living room from the kitchen._

_"Where, may I ask did you hear that from? You wouldn't have spies keeping an eye on me, would you? Even after all these years, my little Zuzu?" Azula couldn't help, but let some of her old personality seep out from her lips._

_"Enough of this, Azula. Where's the child?" The Fire Lord exclaimed harshly, his fist clenching as he made his way closer to his sister. But Aang quickly became the mediator as he slipped an arm between the two siblings. "Tell us before I tear this house apart!"_

_"Keep your voice down! I just put Naruto down for a nap!" Azula ignored the demands, her insanity slightly playing into her motherly act. "I never disturbed your kids when you put them down for a nap!"_

_"It is not your child!"_

_"He is! He's mine!"_

_"Both of you, just calm down!" Aang swung his arm upwards, creating a small pocket of air that push the two siblings apart several feet. "Now, Azula. Where did you get...Naruto from?"_

_Azula's lips thinned as she stared at her brother with an icy glare, her eyes making their way to the Avatar every few seconds before calming down. The last thing she wanted was for the Avatar to consider her a threat and finally remove her bending. It was only because of what happened all those years ago during the search for their mother, that Aang had decided that Azula could keep her Firebending. Much to his future wife's objection, of course._

_"He is mine. Just because I didn't give birth to him, it doesn't mean I'm not his...mother." Her own words stabbed Azula in her heart as she realized how much the boy had come to mean to her. So she did what she did best._

_She lied through her teeth like her life depended on it. Because Naruto was her life and if she didn't do this right, he would be taken from her._

_Her eyes met with her brother's once again. "It was just another day here in 'paradise' and I was working in my garden like the peasant I had become. It was the day after that horrible storm that came ashore, a few months after your last 'visit' when I found a young woman laying on my beach."_

_Azula's face grew somber, further playing into her role. "There was nothing I could do, she was already gone. Not that I would have cared before, but old age has soften this warrior over time. That's when I found a bundle underneath her body, her arms tightly wrapped around it. It was Naruto, she gave her life to protect her son from the powerful storm."_

_Azula motioned for the two men to follow her to the spare room that she had turned into a nursery for Naruto. His yellow hair was very apparent to the two men as they entered the room quietly and watched the baby sleep. Azula silently made her way to the crib, her eyes watching her son's body rise and fall in deep slumber as she careful removed one of his blankets. She walked out of the room, pushing them out as well before closing the door quietly._

_"This is all that was left." she showed the blanket with his name embossed onto it. "I burned the woman's body and let the sea become her burial ground. As for Naruto, trust me. Adopting the boy was not my first idea. Far from it, I just wanted to get the boy out of my hair and just find him a place to live. But he was weak, only barely hanging on to life due to the storm. I couldn't just move him and take him into town. He would have never survived the trip."_

_Azula moved past Zuko and Aang as she made her way to the kitchen to remove the teapot she had on the stove. She needed a moment to think up the rest of the story. "So I took care of him. Fed him milk from the pig goats I raise here and waited for him to be strong enough so I could find a family for him. It should have only taken a few days, but...days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months and I found myself unable to give Naruto away."_

_"But was that really your decision to make, Azula?" Aang asked with concern. Zuko remained quiet, listening to his sister's story intensely._

_"Who else was there to make it? I didn't want to be a mother, it just happened." she spoke softly, pouring tea into three cups and handed two of them to her guest. "In the end, he's being taken care of and happy. He is special, Zuko. You can tell by his hair and his eyes. He must have been blessed by the spirits to have survived when his mother didn't."_

_Aang could only nodded in agreement, remembering Princess Yue's hair and eyes. She had been blessed by the Moon spirit and he could tell the boy was blessed by a spirit as well. Zuko however, had his hesitations about the whole situation. He knew his sister very well and knew whatever she said could be a lie. She always lied, even when she told the truth. Without sipping his tea, he set it down on the counter and turned towards his sister._

_"What kind of life could you give him here? You live in solitude, alone in your own misery. How well could he grow up? What kind of man would he turn out to be? He needs to be in a home where he can feel loved and in a place full of people like Republic City. We both know that you're incapable of love. I love you, Azula. I always will, but even I know that you can't feel the same for me so what can Naruto expect from you?"_

_Much to his surprise, Azula looked up from staring at the floor with tears in her eyes as she threw her cup at the wall. "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I haven't spent years mulling over that fact? Am I capable of love? Am I capable of being loved? But I know...I know I can raise him to be a good person, unlike I was. I can teach him, nurture him, and be a mother to him. When he's old enough, he can leave and join the world. But right now, he's only a child and he needs a mother."_

_"Zuko, I believe Azula can raise this boy. You should let him be and just show support for your sister. I know your hesitation. I once felt as you did for Azula and this whole thing brought back those feelings from both you and I. Just remember all these years, how much Azula has changed and chose to live a life this way. It's been a long time, old friend. We should be able to move on." Aang stated and for once in her life, Azula was thankful for the weary Avatar._

_"I...I'm sorry, Azula. Even though I may never trust you, it seems obvious that the spirits do. Why else would fate work out this way? What ever you need, don't hesitate to ask." Zuko bowed before turning away to leave. Aang nodded to Azula as he joined the Fire Lord to leave Azula and Naruto alone to be the family that they needed to be. Because whether it was a lie or not, both men knew that those two belong together on more than one level._

Azula sighed as she remembered that day vividly. She knew that she came close to losing Naruto that day and for a second, almost considered it. To get the bothersome child out of her hands and her life would go back to normal. Calm, simple, lonely normal. But Azula found out that day that she had deep feelings for the yellow haired boy and they hooked into her chest with no intent on leaving.

Even the fear of the Dragon spirit coming back to punish her didn't cross her mind. Al she knew was that she loved this child and that she was meant to guide him on a path that crossed the Avatar's as well. She could see the look on his face when he first saw Naruto, like he felt something coming from the sleeping boy. Azula could also tell that something was wrong with Aang as well. He was hiding it well, but she had spent her whole life looking for hints and clues of people hiding things from her.

She had the feeling that things were going to change very soon and that it would impact the world. She jumped in the air soon after her thought as the sound of a vase came crashing down. Azula's eye twitched as a set of giggles followed the breaking vase. Yes, he would impact the world if she didn't impact her fist on his head first.

"Naruto!"

* * *

170 ASC

Korra sighed as she watched the calm waters below with her polar dog. She was being shipped off after only a day in Republic City, not even a full day! But she could see why Tenzin had told her that he couldn't move to the South Pole for the time being. Things were most definitely off here. Gangs and violence ran wild, even with the Metalbending police keeping things as calm as they could be. Plus, what was up with that Anti-bending rally? Did people really hate benders now?

Although Korra could understand it at a certain level; the war had brought a lot of mistrust between benders and non-benders from what she was told by Katara. That still had no cause for what she saw today in the park. But all that didn't matter now. She was now on a ship that was heading for another ship that would ship her back to the South Pole. That was a horrible play on irony that had just struck her for the moment. Korra just let out another sigh and leaned down on the rail.

"You're not happy about going back home?" a voice spoke out from behind her as she turned to see Naruto joining her at the edge of the boat. "I just figured it would be nice to go back home to your family, especially after the day you had."

"Yeah, it's been quite a day. But I don't want to leave. I do miss my parents, but I feel like I need to be here. Sure, I need to start my Airbending training with Tenzin and everything. But this city, it's an amazing place and it needs my help. The world needs its Avatar." Korra stated as she looked out at the city lights.

"You're pretty sure that the world needs you right now, huh?" Naruto smirked in amusement. "If I know my history right, the previous Avatars weren't even told that they were the Avatar until sixteen. You're only seventeen and you feel that you need to protect the world that is already millions of years old. That's quite the ego."

"What are you saying? That I wouldn't make a difference right now? The Avatar's job is to protect the world." Korra's feelings for the young man started to change until she saw the small grin on his face. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just that your face is still cute when you get angry. On the contrary, I believe your presence here would make a huge difference. Yours, Tenzin's, Chief Beifong's, even myself will all be tied together with Republic City's destiny. I just think you should keep a level head and I'm sure things will work out like destiny has planned." the mild wind caught Naruto as he spoke, the gentle breeze brushing his hair aside along with Korra's.

"You sure like talking about destiny." Korra couldn't help, but add in that quip. "Was your mother a fortune teller?"

Naruto merely smiled, his blue eyes averting away from Korra's face as he turned towards the front of the ship before it began to dock into the small harbor. Korra watched as well as the crew got everything ready and she knew it was time to switch ships and get ready to be sent back home with Naga. In a matter of minutes, everyone had gotten off the ship and now she was standing in front of two members of her White Lotus guard with Naga by her side. She looked back to see a solemn Tenzin watching her with slight regret in his eyes.

Naruto had his hands folded behind his back as he stared at her with a look that she had a hard time recognizing inside his ocean eyes. It was almost as if he were watching an old friend leave him again, but that couldn't be it. Korra had just met him a couple of hours ago so why would he be looking at her like that? Korra herself was sad because she had met this really nice guy who was handsome and funny too. If she could just finish her training here, she could have everything she wanted. Learn Airbending, help Republic City, maybe...go a date with a certain yellow haired aide with whisker tattoos and stunning blue eyes.

Suddenly, three gliders came into view in the dark sky above them as Tenzin's children used Airbending to fly down and land between their father and Korra.

"Korra!" All three of them shouted as they rushed up and hugged the Water tribe girl tightly.

"Are you coming to live with us on the island?" Ikki asked the young Avatar before she shook her head slowly and knelt down to the little girl's eyesight.

"No, I'm sorry Ikki. I have to go home now." Korra whispered sadly, her eyes looking up from the chatty Airbender to Naruto. Their eyes met once more and she could feel the warm shiver go up her spine. She smiled at the trio again before standing up and headed towards the White Lotus members. Naruto heard Tenzin sigh as he looked over to his master and gave him a soft elbow to his ribs.

The master Airbender grunted slightly and looked back at Naruto who simply stared at him with an expressionless face. He sighed once more before looking down at his children in front of him before finally making the decision he should have made earlier. "Wait."

One heartfelt speech later, Korra shouted in joy as she swept all the kids off their feet and brought in Tenzin for a massive group hug with Naga joining as well. Tenzin had to let out a sigh one more time as the oddly strong girl squeezed them tight before she looked over at the only person not in the group hug. Korra let the Airbending family down as Ikki, Jinora, and Meelo started to jump around in glee with Naga while their father tried to calm them down.

She looked over at Naruto with a smile before rushing over to him and embraced him in a tight hug. For the first time in a long while, Naruto found himself in an awkward situation that he rarely knew what to do. Growing up with his mother has seldom emotional moments that were ever produced in their small family. After moving to Republic City, those moments even became more rare that only surfaced when Ikki surprised him with a hug or Jinora playing off her small crush on him by asking him to help with her books.

This may have been the first time a girl his age hugged him and despite all of his knowledge on many subject, had no idea how to respond. Naruto could feel his face turn red as two certain masses pressed themselves against his chest. His hands just hovered in air, not knowing what to do before he caught the image of Meelo wrapping his arms around himself and pretended to make out with no one. Naruto took in a deep breath before closing his arms around the Avatar.

All of a sudden, it was like energy wrapped around the two as the hug was completed and sent a jolt of electricity between them. They separated slightly and looked into each other's blue eyes as an awkward look was shared between them. Something told Korra that her stay here would be something more than just Airbending. That this was just the beginning to something that would change her life forever.

She just didn't know how true that thought would be.


	4. Chapter 4

_**I hate to do this, I really do. With projects that involve writing, I always finish them to the very end. Even if they are fanfiction, but the most amazing thing has just happened to me.**_

_**I've been given an advance of 5,000 dollars of seed money to get started on my first real novel!**_

_**I've won minor awards for my short stories since I was in middle school, newspaper contests and such. But nothing like this before. Like with most writers, I've written a beta story, which is basically a skeleton of the main story with a few key chapters, the summary, and the timeline. I must have sent out hundreds of copies to publishers and didn't hear anything for almost two years. I didn't want to do it the cheap way and sell a book on Amazon for pennies, so I've waited a long time.**_

_**Until three days ago!**_

_**I hooked one and she loved my story idea. She called it original, even though the base genre has been overdone. But my story concept gives it a edge she hadn't seen for a while in a supernatural story. She even said she could see it in a movie!**_

_**Needless to say, I fainted after the letter/phone call from her small company. There are still things to do like accept bids and page amount which will be the difference in what type of book it will be. Then I have to get started on the prelude and the first three chapters. I don't want to jynx myself, so I won't say anything more until I get something down on paper and signed. Then I will release some juicy details!**_

_**Now, comes the hard part.**_

_**This story has come to mean a lot to me and I hate to see it die. So I'm offering to give it up for adoption to a GOOD writer. I gave up a story once and they never did a thing to it, so I won't make that mistake again. I will give the rights over to anyone who wants to continue and finish the story with my occasional help and tips. I have basically the whole idea in my head, just never got a chance to finish it.**_

_**I mean, what would any of you choose? Write for free or money?**_

_**So, send me a PM and we'll talk!**_

_**Sam Greenwalt.**_


End file.
